Protector for car grain doors and the like



Juy 24, 1.923. B94630310 H. s. Ecm-HOUSE PROTECTOR FOR CAR GRAIN DOORS AND THE LIKE Filed July ll. 1922 E Wwij;

ation/mq HERBERT S. ECKHOUSE, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

PROTECTOR FOR GAR GRAIN DOORS AND THE LIKE.

Application led July 11, 1922. Serial No. 574,256.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT S. EcKHoUsE, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Indianapolis, Marion County, State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Protectors for Car Grain Doors and the like, of which the following is 'a specification;

This invention relates to protectors for car grain doors and the.like; and the nature and objects of the invention will be readily recognized and understood by those skilled in the arts involved in the light of the following explanation and detailed description of the accompanying drawings illustrating what I at present consider to be the preferred embodiments or mechanical expressions of the invention from among various other forms, arrangements, combinations and constructions of which the invention is capable within the spirit andv scope thereof.

rlihe invention deals with the problem et protecting goods from loss and damage 1n transit due to injury or breakage of containers in which the goods are shipped, by contact with or striking against portions of the vehicle in which the containers are packed for shipment; and the invention is'particularly directed to a solution of the problem rotecting paper, cloth and similar readlly broken or torn material bags and sacks in which Hour, grain and such like products are packaged for shipment, against damage or injury in transit by being thrown againstV or otherwise coming in Contact with i projections on the interior of railroad freight cars in which such bags or sacks are packed.

In accordanceK with the prevailingsmethods of shi ping bags or sacks of grain, fllour and the like products, the sacks are piled or stacked up 1n closed freight cars of the well known box type having the usual exterior sliding doors. In order to prevent the sacks or bags so'packed in such a car from 'falling against and bearing upon the exterior car-doors, making it difficult to open such doors, and when opened causing the sacks to fall from the car with resulting damage, so called grain doors well known to those familiar vwith the loading and packing of box cars, are providedwhich extend across the door openings on the interior of the car and spa-ced from the exterior doors to prevent the sacks in the car i that the ends of the planks or boards present portions projecting inwardly from the sides of the car and forming sharp rough edges.

lExperience has shown that where bags or sacks are packed in a car provided with thesev grain doors, the jars and other movements of the car in transit causes .sacks to fall or be thrown from position, and' where these dislodged sacks fall against or come in contact with the inwardly projecting ends and edges of the vgrain doors the sacks are torn or otherwise injured thereby, with a resulting loss of and damage to the contents of the sacks so torn or broken. Therefore, one of the main andl primary objects of the instant invention is the prevention of the damage and loss encountered in'shipping sacked. products in cars of the box type, due to the breakage and tearing of the sacks in transit by contact with the ends of grain doors used in such cars.

A further object of the invention is the provision of protecting strips adapted to be mountedk and secured inposition over and across` the ends and projecting edges of car grain doors` or other car members or attachments presenting similar interior projections which protecting strips are so constructed and arranged as to cover projecting edges on the interior oi a ycar and present smooth, unbroken surfaces without projections or edges against which the contentsof a car can be damaged or injured in transit.v

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel form and construction of protecting strip for covering interior projections in cars, which strip is provided with scoring or bending lines formed thereon and so .arranged as to permit bending of the strip to present rounded surfaces along the bending lines without breaking or fracturing the materiai of which the strip is formed.

A' further object ot the invention is to provide protecting strips formed of corrugated or similar material hoard, which strips are adapted to be nailed, tacked, or secured in any suitable manner, over and across interior projecting elements in cars to provide smooth cushioning and shock absorbing sur! faces without projections or abrupt edge forming angles, to protect-goods packed in ends of a grain door to form a smooth connecting surface between the car wall and the `grain door and thereby protect goods in the car against damage from contact with the ends of a grain door covered thereb-y, the strips being unattached to the grain door in order to permit mounting and removal thereof independently of the protecting strips,

which latter are maintained vin position over and across the ends of a grain door by the igoods packed in a car bearing thereagainst.

A further object of the inventionbeing the provision of protecting strips for coverjing interior projections andcorners in cars to prevent injury to' goods packed therein,

ywhich strips are of extremely simple design and construction capableof manufacture at smallcost and in quantities, and which strips may be readily applied without special tools or' equipment byl those packing cars with goods for shipment.

With the fore oing and various other objectsin View, w ich will be readily recognized and appreciated by those skilled-in the art, the invention consists iii certain novel constructions, arrangements and combinations; as will be more fully and particularly pointedput and specied hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion ot the interior of the usual box type of car loaded .with sacks of grain products, and showing a protecting strip embodying teatures of the invention applied in position on one end or `the usual car grain door.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a protecting strip of the invention and particularly showing the construction and arrangement of the scores formed in accordance with the invention.

ited to the eciic material illustrated, as.

other materia s having equivalent characterrseaoio istics may be` utilized Without departing romjthe spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the embodiment disclosed inthe accompanying drawings and described hereinafter, is particularly intended for use on and application to car grain'doors, but the various features of the invention are capable of presentation -in forms adapted to other applications and for use in connection with other elements and members than" grain doors, where similar conditions exist and it is desired to overcome and eliminate the disadvantages resulting from the existence of such conditions. v

The particular form of the invention disclosed herewith by way ofillustration and example of one adaptation thereof, consists of a substantially rectangular strip 10' formed from corrugated paper or similar material board, 'of the type in which a corrugated sheet of material is interposed betvifeen and has heavier material sheets secured on and over the opposite lsides thereof to provide a composite board material. The strip 10 is so formed of such corrugated paper board that the corrugations 11 thereof are. disposed transversal of the strip, as

. particularly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. The strip 10 is divided' into the longitudinal panels 12, 13 and 14 by suitable s'coring forming bending lines, and the outer panel is preferably of smaller width than the center panel 13 andthe outer panel 12.

rllhe panels 12, 13 and 14 are v`lor-ined byk scoring extending longitudinally of the strip 10 and so arranged on'the strip as -to permit the bending of the panels relatively to each other along the scoring and to provide rounded surfaces along the edges formed by bending 'the panels without breaking or fracturing the material of which the strip 10 is composed. The scoring is further so arranged and positioned in and on the strip 10, that the outer panels 12 and lei can be bent in opposite directions and still lobtain the desired rounded edges formed along the lines ot bending without breaking the material of the strip. These bending lines are each formed by a pair ot spaced longitudinal scores 15 onn one side or" the strip 10, and a single longitudinal score 16 on the opposite side of the strip, parallel to and disposed centrally with respect toy the pair or scores 15 ,on the opposite side of the strip 10. 'By this arrangement of scores 15 and 16 a bending line is formed which'permitsbending ot the portions of the strip 10 on opposite sides or' the scores inL a-direction toward the single score 15, that is, the portions or the strip on opposite sides of the scores can be bent inwardly toward .each other in the direction in which the single score i6 faces, with the result that the pair oit scores 15 on the opposite side oi lim the strip define and form a rounded ed e surface, due to the fact that the strip ben s on that side along the spaced scores which leaves the portion of the .strip between the scores 15 substantially unbent and forming a continuation of the opposite sides of the strip extending adjacent thereto. The position and arrangement of the scores 15 and score 16 on opposite sides, respectively, of the strip 10 and extending transversely across the corrugations l1 of the strip, prevents breakage or fracture of the strip in bending the panels along the said scoring. In the illustrated protecting strip the panels 12, 13 and 14 are formed by the hereinbefore described arrangement of longitudinal scoring, with the pairs of or double scoring 15 between panels 12 and 13 on one side of the strip and the double scoring 15 between panels 13 and 14 on the opposite side of the strip, so that` the outer panels 12 and 14 can be bent in opposite directions.

The application' and use of the protecting strip 10, construction as above described, is illustrated in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, in which a portion of a freight car C of the box type having the usual ex' terior sliding door D. is disclosed. The car C is provided with the door frame and a grain door comprising the planks 21 is positioned across the lower half of the door opening and door frame 20, on' the interior of the car C and attached thereto, in the present instance, by nailing the ends of the planks 21 to the inner wall 22of the car. The position ofthe planks 21 forming the grain door is such that their ends 23 project inwardly within the car and present rough edges against which goods packed in the car are injured by contact therewith. As an example, a pile or stack of sacks S of grain products are shown packed in the car C in the usual manner, and preventedby the -planks 21 forming the grain door` from falling or becoming dislodged and bearing against the exterior door D, all of which will be familiar to and runderstood by those conversant with the packing and shipping of sacked products.

In order to protect the sacks S from contact with and damage by the projecting ends 23 of the planks 21 forming the car grain door, a protecting strip 10 of the instant invention is placed in position covering each end 23 thereof, respectively, as indicated in Fig. 1. A protecting strip 10 is fastened in "ertical position adjacent an end 23 of the grain door by attaching the small outer panel 14 flat against the inner wall 22 of the car C by means of roofing caps 24, or other suitable fastenings at the upper and lower ends of the panel. The panel 14 is attached with the single scoring 16 of the bending line therefor facing outwardly, and at such a distance from the end 23 ofthe car grain door, that the scoring between and defining the panels 12 and 13 lies substantially along the outer edge of the grain door end 23.v Thus, dueto the position of the scoring between panels 13 and 14, the center panel 13 can be bent outwardly from the attached outer panel 14 to and bridging the space between the car wall 22 and the grain door end 23, and the outer panel 12 bent inwardly, due to the arrangement of the scoring defining the same, in a position opposite that of the scoring for the attached panel 14, over and against theA grain door, the double scoring 15 and single scoring 16 between panels 13 and 12 providing a rounded, smooth edge 25 over and covering the rough outer edge of the grain door end 23. In the foregoing applied position the protecting strip 10 forms, in effect, a continuation of the grain door end to Iand merging gradually with the inner wall 22 of the car to provide a smooth unbroken surface without sharp edges or abrupt angles thereon.

It will be readilyl apparent that with a protecting strip 10 in position over a grain door as shown in Fig. 1, the sacks S packed in the car C can strike thereagainst or contact therewith without damage or breakage of the sacks by the grain door end 23, the construction andmountingof the strip 10 providing a cushioning and shock absorbing j member presenting a smooth unbroken surface on the interior of the car. It is only necessary to attach the protecting strips to the wall of the car by the panels 14, as the sacks S may be placed against the panels 12 and 13 to maintain the strips in position over and against the grain door ends. With the foregoing manner of attaching the protect ing strips the grain door may be attached in position, ory removed therefrom independently of the protecting strips. y

The embodiment and form of protecting strip illustrated and described herewith by way of an example, may be used to cover the door frame 20 of a car to' prevent damage to goods by contact with the frame, when a grain door is not used. In this applicationof the strips the small panel 14 is bent around the inside orner of the door frame and attached along the door opening side face of the frame the panel 13 rests against the inner side face of the door frame, and the panel 12 is bent at an angle over and across the frame to the inner wall 22 of the car. In this position of the strips 10,`the peculiar scoring of the invention provides the rounded corner edges without breaking the material of the strip and which will not break or tear goods, such as paper or cloth sacks, which ma come in contact therewith.

It is ev1dent that various changes, modifih cations and variations might be resorted to vwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and hence it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact disclosures hereof.

Desiring to protect the invention in the broadest manner legally possible, what lt claim is:

l. In combination with a car having a grain door across the door opening thereof ony the interior ofthe car, a cushioning material protecting strip secured to the inner wall of the car adjacent an end of said grain door and inclined over and across said grain door end to provide a smooth surface between and connecting the inner. faceof said grain door with the inner wall of the car.

2. A cushioning material protecting strip for car grain doors, comprising outer panels and a central panel therebetween, the said protecting strip adapted to be attached by one of said outer panels to the inner wall of a car adjacent an end of a grain door mounted on the interior of the car, with the central panel of said strip inclined inwardly between thel inner wall and said adjacent grain door end, and the other of said outer panels bent down onto and over the inner face of said rain door.

3. In com ination with` a car having a grain door across the door opening thereof on the interior of the car, a protecting strip attached along one edge portion thereof to the inner wall of the car adjacent an end of 7 the grain door, and the said projecting strip extending from and inclined inwardly to and across the adjacent end of`the said grain door. whereby a substantially smooth surface is presented between and connecting the inner wall of the car with the inner face of the grain door and covering the inwardly projecting end edge of the said grain door.

4. In combination with a car having a grain door across the door opening thereof on the interior of the car, a cushioning material protecting strip attached along one edge portion thereof to the inner wall of the car ad 'acent an end of said grain door, the said jirotecting strip having a portion thereof extending from the attached portion and in* clined inwardly across and to the adjacent end of the grain door and bent over onto and against the inner face of the said grain door, the portion of said protecting strip bent over onto the grain door unattached thereto and ada ted to be maintained in position thereon y goods in the car bearing therel against, whereby the said grain door-can be attached and removed independently of said protecting strip.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a protector for the ends of car grain doors and the like comprising a stri or sheet of corrugated cushioning materia board formed into a central panel and opposite outer panels mesmo extending therefrom, one of said outer panels being of less width than the other thereof,

for the purpose substantially as described.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a protector for the ends of car grain doors and the like, comprising a strip or sheet ofy corrusaid scoring between and defining each panel being formed 'by a pair of spaced scores on one side of the strip and a single score on the opposite side thereof disposed parallel with and centrally 'between said double scores,

whereby said panels may be bent to cause the double scoring to provide a rounded` edge surface without breaking the material .of which the rotector is formed, and the said scoring de ning said panels so formed thatl thesaid outer panels are bendable in opposite directions.

l7. As a new article of manuf'cture, a protector for the ends of car in doors, comprising a strip or sheetl or' composite board formed into a center "ariel and outer panels extending therefrom, y means of scoring in and on the opposite side faces of the said strip, thesaid scoring between and defining each strip being formed by a pair of spaced scores on one side of the strip and a. single score on the opposite side thereof disposed parallel with and` centrally with respect to said double scores. whereby said panels may be bent to cause the double scoring to provide a rounded edge surface without break- V ing the material of which the board is' formed and` the said scoring betweenk and defining said panels arranged with the double scores thereof on opposite sides of the strip, respectively, so that the said outer panels are bendable inoppositel directions with respect to each other. j

8.,As a new article of manufacture, aprotector for the ends of car grain doors and the like, comprising a strip or sheet of corrugated paper materifel board having the cor rugations disposed transversely thereof, the said strip being formed into a series of panels by longitudinal scoring extending transversely across the corrugations of said strip, the said scoring so formed thereon that the outermost panels are'bendable in opposite directions with respect to each other.

9.' As a new article of 'manufacture a cushioning and protecting strip for lthe end of Lcar grain doors,v comprising a strip of sheet material adapted to be attached along one edge portion thereof tothe wal-l of a car adjacent an end of a grain door and to extend to and across the end of the grain door to form an inclined surface between and connecting the car wall with the side of the grain door.

10. As a new arti-cle of manufacture, a cushioning and protecting strip for the ends of car grain doors, comprising a striprofto be mounted by attaching one outer panel.

to the Wall of a car adjacent the end of a grain door, with the center panel bent from the car Wall to extend to and across the grain door` end, and the opposite outer panel bent over onto the exposed side of the grain door, Whereb the center panel forms an inclined cushioning and protecting surface extending across the door end and between and connecting the car wall With the exposed side of the gra-in door.

Signed at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 27th day of June, 1922.

HERBERT lsfncicnonsn. 

